An Initial Exploration of Engineering Student Perceptions of COVID’s Impact on Connectedness, Learning, and STEM Identity
- Conference
- Location
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Virtual Conference
- Publication Date
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July 26, 2021
- Start Date
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July 26, 2021
- End Date
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July 19, 2022
- Conference Session
- Tagged Topic
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NSF Grantees Poster Session
- Page Count
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8
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--36670
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/36670
- Download Count
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667
Paper Authors
Craig O. Stewart
University of Memphis
orcid.org/0000-0002-6843-795X
Dr. Craig O. Stewart is an associate professor of Communication at the University of Memphis. His primary areas of research are Science Communication and Discourse Studies and has published in Science Communication, International Journal of Science Education, Research in Science Education, among other outlets.
Maryam Darbeheshti
University of Colorado Denver
orcid.org/0000-0002-7988-0906
Dr. Maryam Darbeheshti is Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado, Denver. She is the PI of a recent NSF award that focuses on STEM identity at Urban Universities.
Darbeheshti's primary research is in the area of Multi-phase viscous flows in Fluid Mechanics. She also studies the factors that improve First-Year Engineering Program. Darbeheshti created the Engineering Learning Community for First-year students at CU-Denver. She is a member of ASME, the Society of Mechanical Engineers, SWE, the Society of Women Engineers, and ASEE. She serves as the faculty advisor for SWE in the College of Engineering, Design and Computing at CU-Denver.
Stephanie S. Ivey University of Memphis
Dr. Stephanie Ivey is the Associate Dean for Research with the Herff College of Engineering and a Professor with the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Memphis. She directs the U of M’s Southeast Transportation Workforce Center and the West TN STEM Hub, and is Associate Director of the Division of Transportation and Logistics in the Center for Applied Earth Sciences and Engineering Research. Her technical research includes focus on journey to school in urban areas, transportation planning (particularly related to freight impacts), livability assessment in urban communities, and strategies to engage citizens in the transportation planning process. She has a strong record of STEM workforce and education research, with special emphasis on transportation workforce development, partnerships between industry and academia, and increasing representation of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM.
Ivey is a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers Diversity and Inclusion Committee- STEM Sub Committee, the American Society of Civil Engineers National Engineers Week/Discover-E Task Committee and the TRB Standing committee on Maintenance and Operations Personnel. She also serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Transportation Industry Council, the TennSMART board and the Board of Directors for the Greater Memphis IT Council.
David J. Russomanno Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
David J. Russomanno is dean of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Before joining IUPUI, he was the R. Eugene Smith Professor and Chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering within the Herff College of Engineering at the University of Memphis. Prior to his academic career, Russomanno was employed by Intergraph Corp., Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, and Michelin Tire Corporation as an engineer. Russomanno has secured several million dollars in extramural funding for basic and applied research, as well as for initiatives to improve the recruitment and retention of STEM students. Sponsors of his research include the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, the U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, the U.S. Army Redstone Technical Test Center, and numerous sponsors from the private sector. His research interests include intelligent sensors and supporting software infrastructure, knowledge representation and inference, data and knowledge visualization, software engineering, logic programming applications, and STEM education. Russomanno received his B.E.E. in electrical engineering from Auburn University in 1986, and an M.E. in electrical and computer engineering (1989) and Ph.D. (1993) in computer engineering from the University of South Carolina.
Miriam Howland Cummings
University of Colorado Denver
orcid.org/0000-0002-8653-4489
Miriam Howland Cummings is a PhD candidate in the Education Research Methods program at the University of Colorado Denver. Her work focuses on applying a wide variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods to education contexts, including both K-12 education and higher education.
Gregory Edward Simon
University of Colorado Denver
orcid.org/0000-0003-0325-9010
William Taylor Schupbach University of Colorado Denver
Mike S. Jacobson University of Colorado Denver
Professor of Mathematics for over 40 years, with a keen interest in STEM Education.
Tom Altman University of Colorado Denver
Tom Altman received his B.S. degrees in Computer Science and in Mathematics, and M.S. and Ph.D. (1984) in Computer Science, all from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Altman specializes in optimization algorithms, formal language theory, and complex system simulation. He has published over 75 journal, conference, and technical papers. Presently, Dr. Altman is a Professor of Computer Science at CU Denver and has been an active ABET Program Evaluator (CAC) since 2008. His current research focus is on STEM and more specifically, Engineering Education.
Karen D. Alfrey Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
Karen Alfrey is a Clinical Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs and Programs in the School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. She has been a member of ASEE since 2003.
Katherine Goodman
University of Colorado Denver
orcid.org/0000-0002-5235-3372
Katherine Goodman is assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver, and curriculum lead at Inworks, an interdisciplinary innovation lab. Her research focuses on transformative experiences in engineering education. She is currently division chair of the Technological and Engineering Literacy - Philosophy of Engineering Division (TELPhE).
Abstract
Abstract: This paper studied the development of STEM identity for freshman students in Engineering. An Urban Research University received a 5-year S-STEM award in fall 2018. So far, two cohorts of scholars have received the scholarship as well as academic support, mentoring support, and customized advising from faculty and upper level peers. The objective of this project is to help underrepresented and talented students in engineering to pursue an undergraduate degree. A Multi-Layered Mentoring(MLM) Program was established, and several interviews were conducted with scholarship recipients. The qualitative and qualitative analysis of the student success shows an improvement in GPA of students in the program as compared to the rest of the school. The students not only received financial help through the program based on their unmet needs, they are were placed in an engineering learning community (ELC). The participants in ELC and MLM programs agreed to participate in research studies to assess their success. This NSF funded program also helped freshman students be involved in a hands-on Design Innovations class where they learned design process and human centered design. The students were surveyed on a regular basis to identify their needs and were approached by faculty advisor as well as their mentors to trouble shoot their concerns and help them with both social and academic aspects of their concerns. The first cohort joined the program in AY 2019-2020, as freshmen. This cohort had experienced a full semester of in-person engagement before the COVID-19 hit in the middle of the second semester of their freshman year. We have researched the impact of the pandemic on their academic progress, sense of belonging, and STEM identity. The second cohort joined the program in AY 2020-2021. They have not had the chance to experience the campus life and their perspective of college life is very different than the first cohort. The STEM identity was one of the success indicators for freshman students who entered the university in one of the most difficult and un-usual circumstances under the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stewart, C. O., & Darbeheshti, M., & Ivey, S. S., & Russomanno, D. J., & Howland Cummings, M., & Simon, G. E., & Schupbach, W. T., & Jacobson, M. S., & Altman, T., & Alfrey, K. D., & Goodman, K. (2021, July), An Initial Exploration of Engineering Student Perceptions of COVID’s Impact on Connectedness, Learning, and STEM Identity Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--36670
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